The Place of Dance: A Somatic Guide to Dancing and Dance Making

289 Pages·2014·12.48 MB·English

by  Andrea Olsen

THE PLACE OF DANCE

Publication of the book is funded by the
Beatrice Fox Auerbach Foundation Fund
at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving
Dancer: Susanna Recchia
An Instant of Form
Greenwich Park, Canary Wharf, and Southbank
Photograph © Christian Kipp
a somatic
guide to
dancing
and
dance making
THE PLACE OF DANCE
Andrea Olsen, with Caryn McHose
Wesleyan University Press
Middletown, Connecticut
Wesleyan University Press
Middletown CT 06459
www.wesleyan.edu/wespress
© 2014 Andrea Olsen
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
Designed by Katherine B. Kimball
Typeset in Minion and Quadraat Sans by Passumpsic Publishing
Wesleyan University Press is a member of the Green Press Initiative.
The paper used in this book meets their minimum requirement for
recycled paper.
Publication of the book is funded by the
Beatrice Fox Auerbach Foundation Fund
at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Olsen, Andrea.
The place of dance: a somatic guide to dancing and dance making /
Andrea Olsen, with Caryn McHose.
p. cm.
isbn 978-0-8195-7405-3 (pbk.: alk. paper)—
isbn 978-0-8195-7406-0 (ebook)
1. Dance—History. 2. Dance—Psychological aspects.
3. Somesthesia. 4. Senses and sensation. I. Title.
gv1601.o57 2013
792.8—dc23 2013024221
5 4 3 2 1
For the next generation of dancers,
especially Lucas and Tula Isabel, Caitie and Arleigh,
and all the young ones
who deserve dancing as part of their lives.
Drawing by Helen Ingle, age eight

Contents
Preface xv
Introduction xvii
About This Book xxi
part 1 moving
day 1 Basic Concepts Dance is both universal and highly personal. 3
To Do: Orientation 4
To Dance: Familiar-Voice Dancing 5
To Write: Personal Orientation 5
About the Tonic System 5
Studio Notes: Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen 6
day 2 Attitudes People have complex views about the dancing body. 7
To Do: Finding Your Calcaneus 9
To Dance: Opposite-Voice Dancing 10
To Write: Why Dance? 10
Studio Notes: David Dorfman 11
day 3 Flow Flow is our oceanic heritage. 13
To Do: Rolling and Pouring 14
To Do: Spherical Awareness 15
To Dance: Plumb-Line Falls 16
To Write: Letting Words Flow 16
Studio Notes: Kathleen Hermesdorf 17
day 4 Fire Sometimes we need fire. 19
Bone Marrow 20
To Do: Vessel Breath 21
To Dance: Dancing through the Body Systems 22
To Write: Fire and You 23
Studio Notes: Caryn McHose 24
day 5 Getting Started You can only dance where you are. 25
To Do: Three Long Walks 27
To Dance: Presentations 28
To Write: Creative Conditions 29
Studio Notes: Penny Campbell 30
day 6 Training and Technique We train for the unknown. 31
What I Look for in a Performer (Tamar Rogoff) 32
To Do: Hip Reflex 34
To Dance: Light-Touch Duets 34
To Write: Identify Your Strengths and Weaknesses 35
Studio Notes: Jeanine Durning 36
Contents • ix